Moving With Twins

My husband and I met in Texas, but his job took us to California, where the boys were born.  For a number of reasons, we moved back to Texas when they were between 5 and 6 months old.  My husband didn't have a new job yet, but we took a leap of faith and made arrangements anyway.  We had a lot of advantages that made this possible, including savings, and being able to live with my parents for awhile while we figured things out.  That said, here's what we did and a few pointers.

Goodbye California...

• We compared the prices of three different moving companies (I think it was Bekins, Mayflower, and United Van Lines), who sent reps to assess our apartment's contents for free.  Then we set a moving date.  (We went with major van lines because of the distance of our move.  When we moved again, see below, we just used a smaller, local company.)
• TIP:  We tried to schedule consultations around the twins' naps so that we wouldn't be distracted by them while trying to talk and plan.
• TIP:  Moving in summer can be more expensive.  We moved in spring.  
• We arranged to have everything sent to a storage unit near my parents' house.  
• With a deadline in view, I made a goal for myself on how many boxes a day needed to be packed.  It was a good time for me to sort and get rid of some things.
• TIP:  Try to pack while your kids are playing on the floor, or safely in a bouncy seat, playpen, highchair, etc., or napping and sleeping.  

This is supposed to be tummy time, but we're rolling!  Keep packing, mom...

• TIP:  Buy MORE boxes and tape than you think you need!
• TIP:  Enlist friends and family to help you!!  My dad is amazing and actually flew out to California just to help us finish the packing, and then to be an extra pair of hands on the flight back with the babies.  If at all possible, see if a friend or family member is willing to make the trip with you to help lighten the load, even if you're driving.  If it's not possible, breathe deep...
• My husband arranged to have our cars shipped from one state to the other.  
• TIP:  This isn't always the best way to go!  We had a lot of difficulties with this part of the process, though that may have been due to the company we chose.  If you can drive, at least you'll be able to control that portion of the move!  If you drive, you always could drive at night while your children are sleeping if you're worried about them being fussy in a car seat all day.  OR, make lots of planned stops along the way.  And with driving, you won't need to worry about how your kids may react to air travel, and you can be more flexible. 
• I got plane tickets for us for the day AFTER our things were scheduled to be picked up.  I did this in case something went wrong, we would at least have a day to figure things out before having to get on a flight.  We stayed with my brother-in-law's family for one night after everything was cleared out of our apartment and we turned in the keys.  They were then kind enough to oversee our cars being picked up for shipping.  
• TIP: Unless you have a deadline, don't rush the moving process, whether you're flying or driving.  If possible, allow some cushion time for things that may come up unexpectedly, and so that you don't feel so stressed.  
• TIP:  However you travel, make sure you have the absolute essentials to get through a few days with your babies/kids.  Clothes, diapers, formula, whatever.  What I also did was order a bunch of supplies online and had them delivered to my mom so they'd be waiting for us when we got there.  I love Diapers.com, but there are a lot of other options out there, such as Amazon.  

...hello, Texas!

• Then we flew to Texas!  We lived with my parents for a month until my husband got a job and we found a place to rent (ended up being in a different city than my parents).  Once we knew where we would live, we had to schedule movers AGAIN to take our things out of storage and into the rental.  Since it was all in the same state, this part was a little easier.   
• For various reasons, it took us a year to reassemble the cribs.  We used pack-n-plays and they were fine!
• TIP:  For travel and temporary situations, or even if you have limited space or can't afford a full-blown crib, I highly recommend these pack-n-plays.  To make them more comfortable we also got MamaDoo mattress toppers, which are also easy to transport.  

After that move, we lived in the rental for a year before my husband's promotion prompted a move to yet another city in Texas...but that's a post for another time :)   

Have any other tips on moving with twinkies or even more kids?  Comment below!